The Film Daily (1923)

Critics Endorse Thomas Dixon's first! "THE MARK OF THE BEAST" MORNING TELEGRAPH: "There's nothing in the world," says Oscar Wilde in "Lady Windermere's Fan" "like the devotion of a married woman. It's a thing no married man knows anything about." Just so, there's nothing in the world more enjoyable than good acting; it's a thing no picture-goer seems to know anything about. Our best actors, when they start at all, never star very successfully. There is no featured player in "The Mark of the Beast" by Thomas Dixon. The result is that the players work for collective excellence instead of individual distinction. The performance is one of the things which makes the film worth seeing. MOVING PICTURE WORLD: A picture that while it will interest higher class of patrons from its psychological side has plenty of thrills and punch scenes to hold its own with the average audience. The entertainment qualities of the picture are enhanced by an excellent cast. In fact good showmanship is evident throughout. EXHIBITORS TRADE REVIEW: "The Mark of the Beast" is a film that has, and noticeably shows, concentrated action into an agreeable number of feet with the result that the picture moves swiftly along and rapidly rises to a brilliant climax. He has not sought to play up any particular stars or favorites, but has accomplished a remarkably good all-around production. MOTION PICTURE NEWS: It is built like a play that sweeps forward with a real crescendo of events which culminate in a tense climax. The characters are sharply drawn. The scenes carry much suspense and it is compact with interesting sequences. EXHIBITORS HERALD: "The Mark of the Beast" will be found good entertainment. The atmosphere inclines to be tense and tragic — with a mystery involving the death of the crook of the piece near the end — and the whole is acted in a sincere manner by a well chosen cast. The climax, where the crook is mysteriously stabbed and the doctor is called upon to save his life, after the crook has maltreated his bride, makes the popular appeal where tense drama is sought. IT'S A THE FILM DAILY: Very unusual story with development containing one mystery after another; has fine dramatic acting and action. Contains splendidly sustained interest and you never know from one minute to the other what will happen next. Thomas Dixon's picture is certainly entitled to be termed unusual, for it is all of that. The picture is decidedly out of the ordinary, and if you know that is what your patrons want you can go to it on this one. HARRISON'S REPORTS: It is seldom that a producer has the courage to get away from the regular picture-hokum path, and explore new fields. In "The Mark of the Beast," Mr. Dixon has shown such a courage; he has written the story with the idea of appealing to man's intellect and in an equal measure to his emotions, rather than to his emotions alone. And he has succeeded, for through the character of Ann Page he has given us an insight into woman's psychology such as no other author has given us up to the present time. He has been able to show convincingly that the strange actions of a woman who has been fascinated by a man unworthy of her were caused by her subconscious mind. Holds the interest undiminished from the beginning to the end, is thrilling, and appeals to the emotions of pathos. SCREEN OPINIONS: "THE MARK OF THE BEAST" (Class A-a) 100% High mark in screencraft attained by Thomas Dixon in production of thoughtful and sensational elements. One of the most remarkable screen productions that has been made is "The Mark of the Beast," written and directed by Thomas Dixon, author of "The Clansman," on which "The Birth of a Nation" was based. Mr. Dixon's effort in combined motion picture authorship and direction is clearly the result of much intelligent thought on the subject, and it is to be hoped that this is only the forerunner of more pictures of the same calibre from the same source. This picture may be used as a special by billing it as something new and sensational in moving picture production. ON PICTURE